Broken Soldiers
by SpartanEra
Summary: Loving you means that I give you my heart my love, my whole self; you'll always come first before anything else. Going through all 3 games. full on Shakarian. rated T for now, but eventual M. Also available on deviantart!
1. Dreams

**This is my first every fan fiction ever! Please enjoy and sorry for anything that might look incorrect or spelling. The first few chapters (still unsure about how many) will be taking place in the first game and will slowly pick up as Jane Shepard's and Garrus' relationship builds. This chapter is a bit short, but only to just start this series off. Thank you! All characters belong to Bio ware, the story however belongs to me. OK i edited this chapter cause can :D! anyways nothing seems to be working out for me but i am tying my best to get the next chapter out... just geth are... weird. yeah lets just leave it at that.**

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**Broken:**  
**Chapter 1: Dreams**

_It was dark; darkness surrounded her, made everything seem and feel different. She became scared, frightened of the unknown that was presented to her. Nothing seemed to fit, nothing looked right, but nothing was there to begin with. She panicked, for she saw nothing but thick black darkness. She tried to scream out for help, but the words could not form. As she stood there in the darkness, petrified of her surroundings, she willed herself to move. She couldn't. The darkness seemed to react to her attempt of escape and the air in the space she was in started to thicken, and the darkness only became darker._

_She had to get out! She had to do something before this force had consumed her. She willed herself to move once more. Finally she broke free and pain started to erupt into her body. She tried to search, looking, feeling for something that she could use to get out. Adrenaline was pumping throughout her body. She ignored the pain increasing ever so slightly with every step, but that only made her determination grow as she searched for a way out. With her arms out in front, guiding her through the darkness, she continued to stumble around into the unknown, hoping for a sudden miracle._

_Something then forced her to stop like someone took control of her body. Unable to move, her eyes darted left and right searching for the source to the power._

_She felt that someone was directly in front of her, breathing into her face. She closed her eyes as hard as she could, her heart beating harder and faster in her chest, afraid of what could happen next. The pain intensified as she stood in front of the figure. The presence in front of her had done nothing to her yet. The pain in her body was soon overwhelming to the point if collapse._

_As she fell the figure moved down and caught her before she hit the ground. Cradled in its arms, the figure placed its hand on her cheek, as if to see if she was okay._

_With the hand placed on her cheek, Jane felt as if the darkness, the pain, or the fear had never been there. These hands, these three-fingered hands, were being so gentle to her. It was as if it cared for her, as if it was trying to take the pain away from her._

_"I have you now, you have nothing to be afraid of." said a voice, she was confused; it was of a man but not of one she knew. The voice was so comforting and calm. "I'll always be there for you Shepard." The darkness around her started to disperse as he spoke. She relaxed, trusting the unknown presence to protect her. Jane had believed that she was safe from the danger in the figure's arms._

_Everything continued to fade around her. Light started her peak through the darkness, banishing the danger and evil that had once threatened her. The three-fingered comforting hands slowly began to disperse as the voice from before ensured her, "You will never be alone Jane, I love you."_

Jane suddenly woke up and slowly sat up on her bed. She placed her hand on her check where the hand had once held her in the dream.

What the hell?

She glanced around the room that was still dark except for her desk lamp that was still on from her previous battle with paperwork. Jane flowed her hand from her check to the rest of her face down and then let it drop unto the bed. She let her thoughts wonder to the events that will soon come upon her.

Eden Prime, Nihilus...Oh wait... Could I maybe?...

Shepard quickly activated her Omni-tool and checked the time; it read 0300. She decided it would be a good time to start the day. Jane slowly got out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

Resting in front of the sink, she looked at herself in the mirror and saw the exhaustion in her face. The dark circles underneath her deep green eyes, the pale look on her scared freckled skin, and her bright red hair raged all around her head.

"Why won't the dreams stop?" She said to herself

Wondering back towards the dream, she couldn't believe what had happened. Not only of the dream, but of how weird it felt. In her mind she amused herself at this sudden occurrence, and she suddenly let out a loud groan that sounded more like a gowl than anything else.

"She's Alive! Morning Frankenstein. Sounds like you slept well. " Joker responded to her outburst over the intercom.

"Thanks Joker, how could you tell?" Jane replied sarcastically, "Hey, what's our ETA?"

"30 minutes before we hit Eden Prime, it still smells fishy to me, but I am assuming your situation is involved with that stick up your ass ." Joker replied with a hint of suspicion.

"Again, thanks Joker." Jane said as she started to fetch her clothes from her duffle bag in the corner, "Joker, I'm just going to get ready, ok?" She started to slip into her uniform, decided she could take a shower when she returned from the current mission.

"What? It's only 6 am. Do you not trust me to run this ship?" Joker said with a playful tone.

"Because I know you" Jane replied with a smile. She went into the bathroom and looked into the mirror to tie her red shoulder length hair up into a pony tail.

"Ok, fine I can pilot, but even if I tried anything else I would break my pelvis. "

"Only a plevis? I don't know maybe..."

"Yeah right, Oh look Frankincense is here, ." Joker stopped her mid-thought as the intercom just as quickly turned off.

Jane chuckled to herself as she made sure everything was in order in her cabin; sighed softly, Straightened out her uniform and walked out of the door and headed out for the day ahead.

In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization. In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis for this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time. They called it the greatest discovery in human history. The civilizations of the galaxy call it... MASS EFFECT.


	2. Hello and

Broken Soldiers 2 review

This is my very first fan fiction ever! Please enjoy and sorry for anything that might look incorrect or spelling. The first section (was chapters) will be taking place in the first game and will slowly pick up as Jane Shepard's and Garrus' relationship builds. I had decided to just go with the ME 1 story line a bit because my mind thought it was a good idea. Thank you! All characters belong to Bio ware, the story however belongs to me. Sorry it took so long! More chapters are on their way! I promise! Oh and I am not the best at 'English' so sorry for any so called mistakes. Thank you!

Broken Soldiers:

Chapter 2: goodbye and hello

Jane walked out into the mess hall only to be confronted by a little too over enthusiastic Corporal Richard Jenkins. "Commander Can you believe it? A Spectre! A real live Spectre is on board with us!"

A small smile crept up on her face. Jenkins had always reminded her of the little brother she never had. Ever since she came aboard the Normandy, enthusiasm and confidence where the only emotions she had ever seen on him, but pure joy seemed to be the most prominent at the moment. "Yes Jenkins, I know. I was planning to try go talk to him."

"Oh, when you meet him could you get me his autograph?"

A short breathy laugh escaped her lips, "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, what are you doing up so early?" Shepard questioned with a small smile planted on her face.

"OH! Sorry I guess I was just too excited to sleep much. Getting to meet a Spectre! A Turian Spectre! You…you! The Great Commander Shepard herself! The Hero of the Blitz! The Butcher of Torfan!" said with his hands up in the air, his voice rising with each thing named.

This time Shepard chuckled; it's hard to not be happy around this guy. "Yes Jenkins. Just keep your voice down; there are a few people onboard that if they wake before needed they get really grumpy."

Jenkins with an ear to ear smile on his face, did a crisp salute and whispered, "Yes sir!" and walked off.

Jane wandered down to the Cargo Bay making her way to the oh so beautiful Mako. Shepard wanted to try and get some new upgrades and make a few tweaks in the Mako before landing. She knew that they weren't going to be able to use it at Eden Prime but you can never be too careful.

Rolling under the mako Jane started going to work. First testing then tweaking the suspension and thrusters; cause since they were launched planet side by literally flying off of the ship, so you might not want to be crashing all around inside . Then working on the cannon algorithms for they would sometimes get jammed when being rapidly fired.

Working on something like the Mako always made time fly right by, and that's what she loved about it. She only realized how much time had passed when Nihilus had gently tapped her foot twice to get her attention. Shepard Rolled out from underneath the Mako then proceeding to clean her hands on a rag she had found nearby.

"Sorry Nihilus fell in love this guy." She said while patting the side of the Mako as she wiped her hands clean "So... What's up? What are you doing down here?"

"What I'm not allowed to check up on you anymore?" Nihilus playfully jabbed, "just because I'm a Spectre now doesn't mean I don't care."

Shepard released a short laugh and turned so that he had her full attention. "Really? Being a big bad Spectre like you are always looking for trouble... Are you sure you can handle that level of danger?" Shepard the. Took a step closer and almost whispered, "can you handle that much excitement?"

Jane received a surprised then amused look from Nihilus followed by chuckle of sorts. "Oh Jane, that… that is a good one; almost thought you had forgotten about our little game," chuckling once more he continued, "But no matter how hard you try, you can never beat" pointing both of his thumbs at himself, "the KING!" Nihilus couldn't help it he tried to hold it anymore; he slowly let a big goofy smile be displayed on his big goofy turian face.

Shepard on the other hand waited only a few seconds before she started cracking up and holding her stomach while trying to breathe. Eventually Nihilus had joined into her laughter since his big goofy turian smile was starting to hurt.

_How long has it been since I laughed like that?_

After finally coming down from their fits of laughter, a few giggles were all that was left of Jane. "Ok fine I'm letting you have that win. By the way, I think you have a super fan; good luck sleeping at night." finishing it with a small chuckle.

"Oh I see what you did there," squinting his eyes at her, "nice try."

"Hey, it doesn't hurt to try. Anyways, you didn't really answer my question."

"And what was that?"

"What are you doing down here?" Nihilus suddenly tensed then relaxed, with his arms across his chest, leaning against the side of the Mako.

"Jane…" _How am I supposed to…?_ "How…how's your dad doing?" Nihilus said shifting foot to foot nervously, evading the inevitable.

"Alright…Why?" Confusion and worry now visible in her voice. By this point Jane was off of the Mako and standing off to the side away from Nihilus.

"What's he been doing recently?" hoping for a distraction.

"The Usual, Old man farming." Jane said jokingly for a chance the uncomfortable feeling to go away.

"That's good. That's good." An uncomfortable silence settled between the two for a moment. Nihilus was looking anywhere but Shepard and eventually found himself looking at piece on the floor like it was the most interesting thing there.

_Why is he nervous?_ "Nihilus you alright?"

"Yeah, fine."

Jane's brows frowned in confusion, "Is it about the mission?"

"Kind of."

"What do you mean 'kind of'?"


	3. and

Chapter 3

"What do you mean 'kind of'?" Jane's voice was no longer one of a friend but one of a commanding officer.

"Can I…?" Being a little more nervous than usual he continued, "Can I talk to you with it off?" he asked pointing to her Omni-Tool, "Please?" Nihilus' sub harmonics were going all over the place but nervousness seemed to be the most prominent.

Jane had been intently listening to his sub harmonics for a clues or hints of his behavior, but up until recently he's been clamping them down. Hoping to help him, Shepard lifted her arm up to activate her Omni-Tool then deactivated her voice modulator function. Upon turning the modulator off Nihilus relaxed as he heard her own harmonics of concern enter the room. "Nihilus," Her now dual voice joining them, "What's wrong?"

It was always easier to talk to Jane when she didn't have that voice mask on. Her voice was so beautiful and on a few occasions he had asked her why she would want to hide it? She simply responded with humor, _"How many humans have you met that have dual harmonics?"_ Although he knew she had been right, he still loved to hear her talk through her normal, naked voice then through a machine.

They've both had the privilege of knowing each other for a number of years now and their friendship had been strong so far; even when he had to leave for Spectre training, when he came back she welcomed him with open arms, continuing on as if he had never left. A few times he let his mind wonder to all of the 'What if's' and 'Maybe's' but the rational part of his mind always stopped those thoughts from fully forming. She's a human, it could never work…

He snapped himself out of the trance he placed himself as he heard the intercom above them click then Joker voice entered informing of their arrival, "Hitting the Relay in 5 minutes. ETA Eden Prime about 30."

"I should go; get prepared for the mission." And with that Nihilus dismissed himself and entering the elevator leaving a confused and worried human commander in his wake. Jane quickly composed herself and cleaned herself off, reorganized her work station, and then headed to the elevator.

Jane had went to her locker and suited up for planeside. As she exited the elevator and onto the CIC she heard Joker on the intercom announcing their position.

"The Arcturus Prime relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence. We are connected. Calculating transmission and destination."

"Rely is hot. Acquiring approach vector. All stations secure for transit."

"The board is green. Approach run has begun."

"Hitting the relay in 3...2...1..."

"Thrusters...check. Navigation...check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift... just under 1500 K."

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." Nihlus complimented just as he turned around to leave just as Shepard arrived. As Nihilus passed her he put a hand on her shoulder, looked at her, and gave a small smile, then left.

"I hate that guy" Joker commented just as Nihlus was out of earshot.

"Nihlus gave you a compliment... so you hate him?" Kaidan argued.

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!" Shepard had to give it to Joker; he always found a way to put humor into anything. "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him onboard."

"The Council helped fund this project; they want to keep an eye on their investment." Kaidan pointed out.

"Yeah, that is the official story…but, only an idiot believes the official story."

She turned to Joker, "They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs."

"So, there's more going on here than the captain is letting on." Joker said snidely to Kaidan, who rolled his eyes.

"Nihilus did seem uneasy earlier, but he's a good man."

"Is this from experience commander?" Joker said playfully.

"Very funny Joker, I know what you're implying but no we've known each other for years now, he's like… a best friend…" Jane countered with a small smile. Kaidan had been quiet throughout the entire encounter and seems to be a little too transfixed with the commander.

Captain Anderson's voice came on the line. "Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing."

"You get that Commander?" Joker asked.

"Hard to Miss Joker... He sounds angry. Something must have gone wrong." Shepard sighed and turned to leave. She heard Kaidan and Joker continue to banter as she headed down the walkway.

"Pff…Captain always sounds that way when he's talking to me." Joker replied.

"I couldn't possibly imagine why." Kaidan said disdainfully. Shepard shook her head in exasperation.

As Shepard headed towards the comm room she overheard Jenkins and Chakwas in conversation.

"I grew up on Eden Prime Doc, nothing ever happens there. No reason for a Spectre to go there. And why is the Captain agreeing to it? Something has to be going on." Jenkins told Chakwas.

"That's crazy. The Captain's in charge here. He wouldn't take orders from a Spectre." Chakwas said.

"Not his choice doc, Spectre's don't answer to anyone. They can do whatever they want. Kill anyone in their way." Jenkins said excitedly.

"Ha! You watch too many spy movies Jenkins." Chakwas scoffed at him.

"What do you think Commander?" He asked as she approached them. "I sure hope we won't be staying on Eden Prime too long. I'm itching to see some real action." Jenkins said.

"I sincerely hope you're kidding Corporal," replied Chakwas. "Your idea of 'real action' usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary." The doctor retorted.

"You need to calm down Corporal. A good soldier stays cool even under fire." Shepard told him.

"Sorry, Commander. I've never been on a mission with a Spectre on board."

"Nihilus always works on his own so I don't think we'll be fighting alongside him planet side so just treat this like any other assignment. You'll do fine" Shepard said.

"Easy for you to say. You proved yourself in the Blitz; everyone knows what you can do." Jenkins said with respect. "This is my big chance. I need to show the brass what I can do."

"You will prove yourself with time and experience. You're young still. If you jump the gun and do something stupid you could end up with your ass shot off." Shepard warned.

"Don't worry ma'am. I'm not going to screw this up." Jenkins said with confidence.

"Tell me about Eden Prime, Jenkins." Shepard said. It's always good to know your layout before a battle.

"It's peaceful, Commander. It doesn't have city noise or pollution. It was too quiet for me. That's why I joined the Alliance. Even paradise gets boring after a while."

"I should go. The Captain's waiting for me." She said and headed around the partition to the comm room.

Nihlus was in the comm room alone.

"Jane. I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk. To clear the air, so to speak" Nihlus told her.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"I'm interested in the world, Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful." Nihilus started to pace around the room with his back to Shepard.

"I've never been there, but I've heard it's a paradise." She replied brows frowned.

"Yes…Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can establish colonies and keep them safe. But, how safe is it?" He asked pointedly.

"Is there something you are trying to tell me?" Shepard asked.

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place."

"Is the Alliance truly ready for this? Are you?" He asked with some concern.

"I think we are ready to be given the chance to prove ourselves." _Where is this going?_

David came in quickly disrupting the human and turian's conversation. "I think it's time we tell the Commander what's really going on."

"This mission is more than a simple shakedown run. I'm sorry for not telling you early but you know…Classified..." Nihlus told her.

"Yes, that was obvious. You were basically a bundle of nerves." Shepard gave him a small smile to let him know it was ok.

"We needed to make sure the stealth systems were operational because we are making a covert pick up on Eden Prime." Anderson told her.

"Is there a reason I was left in the dark?" She asked.

"The mission was a need to know and now you need to know. A research team on Eden Prime unearthed a Prothean beacon." Anderson paused. "This is big, Shepard. Last time humanity made a discovery like this it jumped our technology forward 200 years. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"This goes beyond human interests alone, Shepard. This discovery could affect every species in council space." Nihlus said. "However, the beacon is not the only reason why I'm here."

"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Shepard. He's here to evaluate you."

She turned to face Nihlus. "That's why you were here?" Nihilus nodded, "Alright I can understand why you were reluctant to tell me in the Cargo Hold."

Nihlus moved his mandibles into a small smile of 'thanks'.

"The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the alliance has come." Anderson continued as if he was oblivious to the other two's conversation.

"You alone held off an enemy assault during the Blitz. You showed courage and incredible skill. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres." Nihlus told her.

"I-I…thank you, Nihilus. I didn't know…I'm sorry for…keeping out of touch over in the past." She said, giving him an even bigger smile.

"I've been watching your career for a while now Shepard, so I think I'll understand your reasons." He said pausing… willing her to know what he was really trying to say. "I needed to find out if you were Spectre material. We are an elite group and it is rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. As the Captain said, I need to evaluate you. Eden Prime will be the first of several mission together."

"Just like old times" _this was going to be better than the old times._

"You will be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it aboard the ship. Nihlus will observe the mission. We are hoping the beacon will tell us more about the Protheans, they were technologically advanced, yet they mysteriously vanished 50,000 years ago." Anderson explained to her.

"Their Citadel is the very heart of galactic society. Without their mass relays interstellar travel would be impossible. We all owe the Protheans a great debt." Nihlus added.

"True, if we hadn't discovered those Prothean ruins on Mars, we'd still be stuck on Earth." Anderson acknowledged.

"Captain, we've got a problem." Joker broke in. "Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!"

"Bring it up on-screen." David Anderson ordered.

Heavy gunfire filled the screen. Yelling, Screaming. The camera bounced haphazardly. It was hard to get a clear picture of just what was happening. A man shouted that they were taking heavy casualties and needed evac soon, just before his head exploded. The camera fell to the ground heavily and in the background you could see a massive insect looking ship landing at nearby and the video feed cut to static.

"Status report." Anderson demanded.

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area." Joker responded form above.

"Take us in Joker, fast and quiet." Anderson said. "This mission just got a lot more complicated." Grab your gear and meet us at the Cargo hold." Nihlus nodded and left with a few strides. Anderson turned to Shepard and ordered, "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Shepard. You're going in."

"Yes sir!" She gave a salute and walked out with purpose.


End file.
